Cell phone driving

[Jammasta]

Illegal from Nov 1

I'm all for it, what say you....

[Guest boostcut]

no. stupid idea. i need to use my cellphone while driving for work., and a hands free kit is also out of the question.

[Guest itsgotgo]

yep i am a 100% behind it

The amount of people that take more notice of thier phone instead of the road is crazy!

[swiftbrad]

For

dialling ph # when driving = less concentration on road

[Guest]

Don't really know how you can be against it really. Most phones nowadays come with hands free headphones etc anyway.

[DRFVDR]

I also Use a phone while driving(mountain shuttle I rely on it)

But I use a BT headset and voice dialing alot and have done so for the last 2 years...

I also use a RT alot as all of my vehicles have them onboard....

all in all it is a good idea... anything that makes my time on the road safer gets a ++ from me

[Guest]

if you use your phone a lot while driving you should have handsfree.

end of story.

Funniest thing was when i was on the blower to my mate in the UK. He suddenly screamed "Fuck" at the top of his voice and i thought he had crashed!

When i asked him what was going on he replied "Just drove past a copper at 85mph talking on a cellphone on the m6".

[DRFVDR]

i see on the news people were saying that they should make people aware by having ads and such....

Worked well for drink driving..............................................NNNOOOTTTTTT

[wrx_lou]

I have talked on my phone from time to time. I'm also guilty of eating and drinking (coffee) while driving. I think the win here would be being able to fine the young tossers who txt while driving as that is way more attention absorbing. I have known many people who have had accidents while doing that, but none who have been talking on the phone.

[DPI]

Just another blanket rule because the government don't wanna know about actually training drivers to handle the responsibility of driving...too much like hard work (and they'd rather keep the tax money it'd cost to pay for their mortgages/rents...)

I often answer the phone when driving, if i can do so without taking my eyes off the road; if not, i ignore it as i am aware that DRIVING MY CAR is the no1 task at hand. It's the same for smokers (who looks down to pick up a smoke when they drop it while driving?), i just pull over to the side of the road and stop before fishing out the glowing ember melting through my jeans.

In the last week, i have been (almost) driven into 8 times by F/wits who don't realise they are driving a car! One was on a phone, one was talking to his kids, another talking to a passenger and the rest...women indulging in their favourite activity...VANITY.

It's not the phones, its the FRIGGIN useless drivers!

The government can ban anything they want, but, short of banning driving, the only way to make a difference is to make driving skill actually part of a licence test, and maybe bring a renewal test in every 3 years...that'll get the silver hairs (who don't know what year it is, let alone which lane they're in) off the roads and onto busses where they belong...and busses, JC, don't get me started on busses....

RANT OVER

[nzkaosnz]

it also means - those who txt while drivin will just hold phone in lap, nt up closer to vision.

[swiftbrad]

 DPI said:

Just another blanket rule because the government don't wanna know about actually training drivers to handle the responsibility of driving...too much like hard work (and they'd rather keep the tax money it'd cost to pay for their mortgages/rents...)

I often answer the phone when driving, if i can do so without taking my eyes off the road; if not, i ignore it as i am aware that DRIVING MY CAR is the no1 task at hand. It's the same for smokers (who looks down to pick up a smoke when they drop it while driving?), i just pull over to the side of the road and stop before fishing out the glowing ember melting through my jeans.

In the last week, i have been (almost) driven into 8 times by F/wits who don't realise they are driving a car! One was on a phone, one was talking to his kids, another talking to a passenger and the rest...women indulging in their favourite activity...VANITY.

It's not the phones, its the FRIGGIN useless drivers!

The government can ban anything they want, but, short of banning driving, the only way to make a difference is to make driving skill actually part of a licence test, and maybe bring a renewal test in every 3 years...that'll get the silver hairs (who don't know what year it is, let alone which lane they're in) off the roads and onto busses where they belong...and busses, JC, don't get me started on busses....

RANT OVER

I agree, however I am not a useless driver but on occasion have been distracted by my cell

it happens

[Guest boostin]

 nzkaosnz said:

it also means - those who txt while drivin will just hold phone in lap, nt up closer to vision.

Like checking out porn via WAP....

[DPI]

 swiftbrad']

[quote name='DPI said:

Just another blanket rule because the government don't wanna know about actually training drivers to handle the responsibility of driving...too much like hard work (and they'd rather keep the tax money it'd cost to pay for their mortgages/rents...)

I often answer the phone when driving, if i can do so without taking my eyes off the road; if not, i ignore it as i am aware that DRIVING MY CAR is the no1 task at hand. It's the same for smokers (who looks down to pick up a smoke when they drop it while driving?), i just pull over to the side of the road and stop before fishing out the glowing ember melting through my jeans.

In the last week, i have been (almost) driven into 8 times by F/wits who don't realise they are driving a car! One was on a phone, one was talking to his kids, another talking to a passenger and the rest...women indulging in their favourite activity...VANITY.

It's not the phones, its the FRIGGIN useless drivers!

The government can ban anything they want, but, short of banning driving, the only way to make a difference is to make driving skill actually part of a licence test, and maybe bring a renewal test in every 3 years...that'll get the silver hairs (who don't know what year it is, let alone which lane they're in) off the roads and onto busses where they belong...and busses, JC, don't get me started on busses....

RANT OVER

/quote]

I agree, however I am not a useless driver but on occasion have been distracted by my cell

it happens

Yeah, but there are distractions (like motorbikes coming up the inside at 110kph in a 50 zone) and then there are people so focused on the OTHER thing they are doing, they forget the most important thing: DRIVIN THE GODDAMN CAR!

I see the most appalling driving every day. Not just people who swerve in and out of their lanes (cause they really can't control a car), drive soooooooo slowly (like 25kph in a 50) or even ride the brakes because they've never learned to negotiate corners at more than walking speed (so none of us should be able to either). It's the complete lack of acknowledgement that they are sharing the road with hundreds of other drivers (who actually have the right to be there) that their actions portray.

It's that look they give you, you know the one, right after they have swerved across into your lane and missed destroying your car only because you reacted in time, and they narrow their eyes and look as if to say 'hey, I’m driving here, what are you doing in my way'.

I cant wait to get the 4x4, man there are gonna be some dented cars out there when i 'fail to notice' these dickheads cutting in front of me, or driving up my arse...

[DRFVDR]

DPI you should drive on the ohakune mountain road Like I do.

every trip i see,(and i can do 10 trips a day)

drivers cutting corners(for no reason I dont think you need to go over white line at under 50 kph)

drivers eating pies/drinking AND even drinking alcohol while driving

Drivers WWWAAAYYYYY out of their or their cars depth(heheheh u can tell the under maintained cars they the ones with bonnet up and steam coming out)

drivers going to fast for the conditions(sadly Subaru drivers seem the worse)

drivers pointing out the scenerie yes it is nice but FAARK

Drivers not obeying basic road rules ie pulling into slow vehicle lanes or giving way to up hill traffic...

[Joker]

 matdaymon said:

Don't really know how you can be against it really. Most phones nowadays come with hands free headphones etc anyway.

TL:DR the rest after this - even hands free has been proven to reduce 'many' drivers Concentration levels by up to 70%

and as usual DPI for President

[cpt kernow]

But so does talking to passengers?

There's no real harm into just talking into space. At the moment my phone defaults to speaker phone in the car so it lives in the centre console and i just turn the stereo down.

Just trying to get work to pay for my new bluetooth stereo so it's integrated to voice dial and sound through speakers etc.

[Joker]

 cpt kernow said:

But so does talking to passengers?

correct anything inside your car is a distraction

hence DPI's mantra : TRAIN DRIVERS PROPERLY

[Guest]

Far out i experienced some scary stuff today on the way into uni! (strangely enough it was this exact topic they were talking about on ZB which I had the radio set to a the time...)

Slow moving traffic just between the H. bridge and Cook st, im moving along minding my own business when an Armorguard truck darts into my lane behind me nearly hitting my back bumper (i could see the dirt around the signwriting he was that damn close!) and nearly hitting the poor bastard behind me!

DPI for PM! Its basic driver training we need! Not more laws to confuse those out there who cant drive in the first place... : (PS I'm not one of the above, my car has a genetic flaw being a green forester ;D)

[cpt kernow]

Cell phone ban is just an attitiude thing, people will get used to it just like wearing seat belts or not smoking in pubs.

And it's a good move as often I'm driving around thinking 'man that guy must be boozed upto the eyeballs with the way he's swerving around' only to find they're txting someone.

Anyway gotta go i'm on the blackberry and a tricky roundabout's coming up

[newsuba]

 TURTLE said:

Illegal from Nov 1

I'm all for it, what say you....

About time.

Consequences of getting caught are piffling though.

As well as a fine and demerits, offenders should have their phones confiscated and posted back to them via snailmail.

Put the bastards through cold turkey and keep NZ Post occupied.

;D

[Guest]

I think it's sadly a waste of time bringing this law in is only going to make things worse on the road. People will be driving and texting and will try to hide the phone while texting / talking. While it's not already distracting enough to hold the phone where it can be viewed by other drivers now people will try to hide it lower in the car and will cause even further distraction and probably the toll will get higher because people just CAN'T multi - task

[DPI]

It comes down to either you ARE capable of driving a car (even with talking passengers, cell phones going off or dealing with random road hazards), or your NOT!

Those that can will just carry on as usual, those that can't should take the bus.

Now, we just need a competancy test to prove which you are.

If the government actually cared about people's lives (and they just don't, people), then they would reform the licence system to include a) A much better test to begin with, and b) a licence renewal test evey couple of years.

It's not good enough that we have to share the roads with some of these dickheads who just scraped by 10 years ago when they sat their original test and have been deteriating in ability ever since.

It's not the phone, passenger or stereo that causes the driver to loose attention to the job at hand, it's this person's inate lack of ability to focus on driving that causes the accident, and should bar them from holding a licence.

Once this is understood, and remidied, the rest of us can get on with it...

[wrx_lou]

Vote DPI for president!

[T.Rev]

Misceants should have their cellphones crushed......forget instant fines...instant crushing.

Police it at intersctions and on certain busy streets for first 3 months to get message across.